


Every New Beginning, or, Five For Lupin.

by Lanna Michaels (lannamichaels)



Series: What Remains Behind [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 5 Things, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Reunion, Squib Harry Potter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2015-06-28
Packaged: 2018-04-06 15:23:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4226958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lannamichaels/pseuds/Lanna%20Michaels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Remus Lupin had never thought much about squibs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Every New Beginning, or, Five For Lupin.

1.

Remus Lupin had never thought much about squibs. They were really rare, right? And, sure, sometimes muggle kids somehow became squibs, but you only found out about those when someone started ranting on again about seeing pixies at Oxford. It didn't happen.

Two months after James and Lily died, two months after Sirius went after Peter and was sent to Azkaban, two months After, Dumbledore sent Remus an owl: come to Hogwarts.

And so Remus flew to Hogwarts, where Madam Pomfrey handed him Harry Potter and told him gently, "we've done everything we could."

Harry blinked up at Remus sleepily and Remus said, "I don't understand. He looks fine."

"He'll never do magic again," Dumbledore said from behind him.

In Remus's hands, Harry started crying.

 

2.

Later, after he'd put Harry to bed and kissed his scarred forehead, Remus followed Dumbledore to his office. He accepted a sweet, feeling far too much like a wayward fifth year and not a man whose world had just ended.

"I have a proposition for you," Dumbledore said. "Harry will need someone to watch over him at school."

"At... his muggle school?" Remus asked.

Dumbledore looked grave. "No, Remus. There is a school. Its location is kept hidden from all but a very few wizards or witches. It contains, at this moment, two hundred and twelve squibs, both of magical and muggle origin, from the ages of five to twenty-three. I have spoken with the headmaster and explained the situation to him. Harry is perhaps a little unusual for them, but Marius has agreed that Harry now fits their criteria for a squib."

Two hundred and twelve squibs! It was nothing compared to Hogwarts, but, still, Remus had never imagined there being so many. He shook his head. "Aged five... Merlin's beard, can you even tell someone is a squib at that age?"

"There are ways, but, yes, there have been some children who found their way there who later went on to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said. "They are in need of a teaching assistant for Care Of Magical Creatures. As I recall, your scores in that area were always exemplary. May I tell Marius you'll take the position?"

Remus once had a plan for this life, but it died two months ago. "May I take Harry with me?" If Harry was to go to this school anyway, and if they took students as young as _five_ , what more could one baby be. Sirius was Harry's godfather, meant to be the one to take him if anything happened, but Sirius was a traitor. Sirius was a traitor, Peter was dead. Remus was the only one left.

"Harry will go to stay with Lily's family," said Dumbledore, and for all Remus's arguing, he would not be dissuaded.

And three days later, Remus found himself outside Stonehenge, on his way to the rest of his life.

 

3.

And Harry did make it to school, where he thrived, and Remus was relieved to discover that Harry was still a parselmouth. James and Lily had been worried when their dear baby had started hissing to garden snakes, and it had broken Remus's heart to think that even that might be gone. But Harry kept that talent, and Remus bent hell and high water contacting former students to get Harry a pet snake.

But all idylls must end, and for Remus it ended abruptly with an express owl from McGonagall: SIRIUS BLACK -- OUT OF AZKABAN -- COME IMMEDIATELY.

Remus gave his apologies to the headmaster and left for Hogwarts.

 

4.

He had told Harry about Sirius, but only in vague terms. Harry's parents had been betrayed by a friend named Sirius Black, who had been sent to Azkaban and so could no longer hurt him. He had told Harry that Sirius had been named his godfather and that James Potter had trusted him with everything, with his life.

It had cost him his life.

Remus had not told Harry about the dead muggles, about poor Peter, or about how Sirius laughed. He had spared Harry that. He could not spare himself the memories. He wished he could.

Remus was told: Sirius had been heard to mutter in Azkaban.

Remus was told: Sirius was looking for someone at Hogwarts.

Remus knew: it could not be Harry. It must not be Harry.

But Sirius wouldn't have known, wouldn't he, that Harry Potter had never come to study at Hogwarts? It had been a scandal in the Daily Prophet when he was not on the train that year. They were sure that it meant that Harry was truly dead. No one knew the truth.

Sirius would have had no way of knowing the truth.

So Remus was called to Hogwarts and so Remus conferred with Dumbledore and McGonagall and so Remus helped strengthen the wards against animagi. After his years of research at the school, Remus was becoming one of the foremost experts on magical creatures, and he walked the grounds and the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid, seeing to Hogwarts's defenses.

And so when Sirius attacked Ron Weasley in the Gryffindor dormitory, Remus was there to see Peter Pettigrew transform.

 

5\. 

There was a chase. There was a great deal of chaos. Sirius escaped. Peter was captured briefly, long enough to be identified, before slipping away.

But Sirius -- the Ministry would not forgive Sirius for them being wrong. And he had escaped from Azkaban, for which the punishment must be returning to Azkaban. Sirius could not come back. Sirius could not meet Harry, it was too dangerous. There were too many safeguards. The school was too well-protected. Remus Lupin could not arrive with a large black dog. It would be noticed.

They met in the Shack before Sirius fled. It went as well as could be expected for two old friends with these twelve years between them.

"Where's Harry?" Sirius demanded, as Remus had known he would.

"Safe," Remus said. "But I can't tell you where." And that would have been the end of it, had Dumbledore had the tell of it, but Remus decided Sirius deserved to know. "When Voldemort attacked, he performed Avada Kedavra and Harry survived. But his magic did not."

Sirius went very pale and he was silent for a very long time. Remus began to worry, and then Sirius whispered, "his _magic_?" Then, louder, "his magic! How! How can you be calm, how can you accept this?" he demanded. "He made my hair turn orange when he laughed. And his magic is gone now?"

Remus would laugh, to think he was anything calm about Harry. He loved the boy like a son. He was anything but calm. "Completely gone," he said. "Sirius, believe me, it's not all bad. He's a good student, very sharp. He has two best friends and a pet snake. And he has James's fortune, so he'll never want for anything money can buy. It's not a bad life, Padfoot. It's just not the one we intended for him. But I think he's happy."

"Happy," Sirius repeated incredulously. "With no magic. But, no, he wouldn't remember magic, would he? You sent him to a muggle school and he thinks he's a muggle. James Potter's son, growing up a muggle! And you won't tell me where he is! My own godson!"

"I _can't_ tell you where he is," and Remus wouldn't if he could, not with Sirius so wild like this. Harry would be terrified. "If you want to send him a letter, address the owl to me and I'll send it on to him, but, no, you cannot know where he is. No one knows -- there's only four people in the wizarding world who could tell you, and trust me, none of them will betray that secret. He's a squib, he's _vulnerable_. There are still Death Eaters out there, wanting to avenge their master. It was half of what we were worried about with you escaping from Azkaban! So I'm sorry, but you've waited twelve years, and I'm afraid you're going to have to wait a couple more. Once he's older, it'll be easier. But it's not possible now. I'm sorry."

Sirius did not accept that easily, but Remus could not reveal the location of the school or its existence, and eventually he did not so much wear Sirius down as tire him out. They came to an agreement: Sirius could send Harry gifts, but could not reveal who he was, not until Sirius's name was cleared by the Ministry. Once Harry was of age, and outside of the school's protections, he could make his own choices.

Remus clasped Sirius's hand in farewell. "Remember, owl me at any time. I want to help. I want to find Peter as much as you do." 

Sirius laughed hollowly and said, "oh, I doubt that, Moony," as Remus disapparated.


End file.
